Indigenous Australians deserve action, not empty words

It’s time for the Australian Government to enact real, meaningful change in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests.

Leanna Hunter and Max Mellin (holding flag) attend the Cotton Tree Black Lives Matter protest. Picture: Patrick Woods

ACTIONS speak louder than words and successive Australian governments have proven time and again their words are empty when it comes to respecting and making reparations with indigenous peoples.

They have failed to close the gaps in education, employment, incarceration rates, health services and more.

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The actions of many people in our governments, police and judicial systems prove the ignorance, disrespect, neglect and violence towards indigenous peoples that runs rampant in these sectors.

The Juukan Gorge in Western Australia, one of the earliest known sites occupied by Aboriginals in Australia, was blasted by Rio Tinto in May to expand an iron ore mine. Picture: PKKP Aboriginal Corporation/AFP

We have a Government that allowed Rio Tinto to blow up a sacred Aboriginal site with 46,000 years of history only two days before National Sorry Day and the start of Reconciliation Week.

A Prime Minister who falsely claimed that Australia did not have a history of slavery, displaying a lack of understanding of his country’s dark past.

A peaceful protest in solidarity with the uprising in the US and against the murder of Aboriginal people in Australian custody at Cotton Tree. Picture: Patrick Woods

There are police officers who use excessive brutality on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the recent death of a four-month-old baby after police arrested her Aboriginal mother, and neglected to ensure the child’s safety while the woman was in custody sparked outrage.

We have a judicial system with outdated laws, disproportionate incarceration and a high indigenous death toll in custody.

It’s time for Australian leaders to stop with the empty words, acknowledge they are part of the problem and enact real, meaningful change.

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